


teared up acl with a full heart

by afropogue



Category: American Housewife (TV)
Genre: Cute, Fluff, Gay, Injured Character, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Season/Series 04, like lowkey just fluff, these bitches gay as fuck! good for them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-15 15:56:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29438619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afropogue/pseuds/afropogue
Summary: takes place s4, when oliver tears his ACL and is forced to hold off ballet for a while. inspired by the prompt “character a hurts their ankle and is laid up with a cast and crutches. character b is sitting next to them, doodling little hearts on their cast to cheer them up.”
Relationships: Cooper Bradford & Oliver Otto, Cooper Bradford/Oliver Otto
Comments: 8
Kudos: 31





	teared up acl with a full heart

Being bed-bound is the _worst._

Any other person his age would love it, getting special treatment and being limited to doing the bare minimum, the ultimate dream for the typical burned out teenager. But Oliver wasn’t like other teenagers. He hated being unproductive, it felt like he was wasting precious time that could be utilized to work toward his goals-his very difficult goals that would practically be unattainable if he didn’t work hard enough. He needed to get into Harvard, he needed that ballet scholarship, and ultimately: he needed all the hard work he’s done to pay off. 

Sure, he knows he won’t be injured forever and he’ll still probably have time to catch up, but it was difficult not to feel like time was slipping through his fingers. It would be time for college admissions before he knew it, and not nearly enough time to prove himself worthy of a Harvard scholarship. 

Oliver feels restless, sitting on his bed all day. He’s missed only two days of school and homework but he feels like he’s missed two weeks of school. He has no desire to do anything else, so he’s bored out his mind.

Not to mention he misses practicing ballet. Who knew his ticket to Harvard would be something he ended up enjoying? If someone had told Oliver he’d develop an affinity for ballet three years ago he would’ve laughed in their face, yet it’s true.

Ballet was his stress reliever, an activity where he could channel all his emotions and worries into endless pirouette’s and agile stretches. 

And now he wouldn’t be able to dance for 6-8 months. Oliver glares down at his injured ankle, the current bane of his existence.

A knock at his half-open door startles him from his thoughts. “Hey.” 

Oliver looks up and is delighted to see his best friend at his door. “Hey Coop.” Oliver replies, moving to sit up, hissing slightly when he feels the surge of pain in his leg at the action.

Cooper rushes over to him. “Woah take it easy, does it hurt a lot?”

“Only when I move.” Oliver replies through gritted teeth, still recovering from the fresh surge of pain. He tries to adjust his body into a more comfortable position, which is difficult to do when your body refuses to allow any movement without ensuing a bout of pain.

Cooper frowns. “I hate seeing you like this. I wish I could take away your pain somehow.”

Oliver softens, his heart warm at the sight of Cooper’s sympathetic expression, looking as if it’s his fault that Oliver got injured. 

“Coop it’s okay, it’s not your fault.”

“I can’t imagine what you’re feeling. The most pain I’ve felt was when I lost favorite Rolex in the Hamptons a few years ago.” Cooper dramatically sighs and places a hand on his heart while wistfully looking up at the ceiling.

Oliver chuckles lightly, shaking his head. Rich kid problems; that was the dream. “Yeah well I’m only on bed rest for a few more days and then I’ll be back at school.” He’d still have to use crutches (he’d have to use them for a _while_ much to his chagrin) but at least he wouldn’t be bound to his bed.

“Oh! Speaking of school,” Cooper says, shrugging off his backpack. He places his backpack on the floor and rummages through it until he finds what he’s looking for. He pulls out a stack of papers. “Here’s all the work you’ve missed.” 

Wait, Cooper is only in two of his classes....which means he had to have gone to each of Oliver’s other classes individually to pick up his assignments.

“Cooper you didn’t have to do that for me.” Oliver says, touched that Cooper would do gather his assignments for him.

Cooper waves him off. “It’s nothing. I know you’d feel bad if you missed work, which I don’t get because it’s literally _homework_ but you’re weird so.”

Oliver scoffs but there’s no heat to it. “If by weird you mean wanting to maintain straight A’s for the semester so my GPA stays clean which means staying on top of all my assignments then _yes,_ I’m weird.” he retorts lightheartedly. Cooper laughs.

“But thank you, really. That was sweet of you.” Oliver says softly. He doesn’t know why the fact that Cooper got his homework for him is making him feel so...fluffy. Perhaps it was because it meant that Cooper had been thinking about him, and took the time to get all his work because he knew Oliver would want to keep up on his assignments while being bed bound.

Oliver tries not to think much of it. Cooper is his best friend, and it’s normal for friends to pick up your homework and bring it to you when you were absent, right? Right.

Cooper smiles back at him and _wow has his smile always been so pretty?_ “Of course.” Cooper replies.

“Do you wanna do homework now?”

Oliver actually doesn’t want to do his homework right now, but he can’t really do anything else with Cooper and he doesn’t want the other boy to leave so he answers, “Yeah.”

Cooper gives him his papers. Oliver instinctively maneuvers further toward the other side of the bed to make space for his friend. He winces at the influx of pain that follows. 

“Oliver you don’t have to move. I can just sit in the chair.” Cooper states, eyebrows furrowing in worry. Oliver doesn’t stop, scooting over until there’s enough space on the bed for him. He simply ignores the aching pain in his leg.

Oliver pats the now freed space. “Sit.”

Cooper is still frowning at him, eyes full of worry, but nonetheless he takes a tentative sit in the side Oliver made for him.

“Are you sure you’re okay? You don’t need like ice or anything?” Cooper asks.

Oliver shakes his head. “I’m swear I’m fine. Can you get me my pencil? It’s over there on my desk.”

Cooper offers him one of his spare pencils instead, which Oliver gratefully takes. He picks up the first sheet in the stack Cooper gave him, which happens to be a fairly thick packet. 

He looks down at the cover. His eyes widen. The class started a new unit already??? He opens the packet, skimming through the pages. Everything looks unfamiliar and he definitely hasn’t learned any of this. Oliver groans, suddenly overwhelmed. He knew he’d have some catching up to do, but now he’d basically have teach himself with the notes— and this was just for math. Who knew how much else he had to teach himself.

Oliver slides his papers off of him, pushing them to his side, before sliding down on his backside, facing upward toward the ceiling. He covers his eyes and lets out another loud groan. 

“So much work!” Oliver grumbles.

Cooper, who had previously been digging for his own work, glances up at the noise and gives Oliver a concerned frown. He doesnt appear bothered at all by Oliver’s moodiness. Oliver doesn’t know what he did to obtain such an understanding and patient friend like him.

“I wish I could cheer you up somehow.” Cooper says, and it sounds like he’s saying to more to himself than to Oliver, which only amplifies his guilt even more. Cooper was doing more than enough just by visiting him and keeping him company.

“It’s fine Cooper. Your presence is enough.” Oliver reassures, patting the other boy’s lap. Cooper looks down at the contact and glances up at Oliver again, staring at him with an unreadable expression.

That’s when Oliver realizes his hand is still on Cooper’s lap, and he quickly pulls it away. Cooper averts his eyes, transferring his gaze to Oliver’s cast-ridden leg. Oliver is left feeling a little flustered from that little interaction. 

_Did he make him uncomfortable?_

Oliver doesn’t have much time to dwell on it when suddenly Cooper perks up, eyes widening and a gasp escaping his lips. Oliver can practically see a lightbulb turn on over his head.

“Do you have any colored markers?” Cooper asks.

“I have black sharpies?”

“Ugh Oliver you’re so boring! You need more color in your life.” Cooper says, standing up from the bed. Oliver immediately feels the absence of warmth, and finds himself missing it.

“Where are you going?” Oliver questions.

Cooper doesn’t reply; instead he holds up a finger to signal a silent “wait a minute” before leaving the room. Oliver furrows his eyebrows in confusion.

Less than a minute later Cooper reappears in the room, this time with a handful of multicolored markers in tow. Oliver’s raises his eyebrows at him. “What are you gonna do?”

“I’m gonna draw on your cast!” Cooper replies enthusiastically. 

“Why....?”

“It’ll cheer you up! Your cast is so bland. Of course, I could have it crystalized and decorated by a profesh but, where’s the fun in that?”

Cooper Bradford? Wanting to do a task by himself without the service of someone else? Very rare occurrence, which made Oliver even more curious.

Cooper was actually not the first person who offered to draw on his cast. Anna-Kat had asked first, but Oliver didn’t trust her not to draw some weird nonsense on the cast. He’d have to wear it for the next few weeks and he didn’t need more attention on his cast than there already would be. 

He would’ve protested more because he doesn’t really know what to expect from Cooper either, but Cooper looks so eager to draw on his cast that he can’t find it in him to deny him this.

“I mean...okay.” Oliver shrugs, sitting up again from his slouched position. Cooper smiles at that before taking a seat near the edge of Oliver’s bed. He places the markers next to Oliver’s leg, spreading them out. He scans each marker, as if deciding which one to use first. He decides to go with a bright turquoise blue color first.

Cooper commences drawing on Oliver’s cast, smile replaced by a concentrated, determined look.

Oliver’s cast is further away so he can’t clearly see what Cooper’s drawing without twisting his head in a certain angle, but he barely even gives the cast a glimpse. Cooper is much more interesting to look at.

Cooper’s face is knitted in concentration, the familiar expression that takes over his face when he’s really invested in something. Oliver finds it utterly endearing and he doesn’t know why.

Oliver watches the other boy choose from the assortment of colors every so often, before using said color on the cast.

Oliver tilts his head over to view his now ornate cast.

Strangely intricate doodles are drawn along the outline, gracing the perimeter of his cast. Barely a smidge in sight. Which isn’t a surprise, since Cooper had been meticulous with his drawings, as if his cast was an actual canvas.

What really catches his breath is the inside of the bordering, which is filled with mini hearts, all different colors. It probably doesn’t mean much, hearts were very popular to draw, but Oliver can’t help but think of the romantic implications that come with the symbol, and for that his heart starts to pound in his chest.

Cooper looks proud of his work. Not the prideful expression he gets on his face when he’s flaunting his money around, or the one when he scores a point during their bowling sessions at Cooper’s private home-installed bowling alley. It’s genuine, unalloyed pride.

“You like?” Cooper asks, looking up at him hopefully.

“I love it.” Oliver replies honestly. “It does make my cast pop a little more. Where did you learn to doodle like that?” he asks. 

“Met a local Italian artist during a trip to Venice who showed me different art styles. Alessandro was a wise dude, I wonder what he’s up to these days.” Cooper says wistfully.

“That’s so cool. You need to teach me how to draw sometime.” 

Cooper ducks his head slightly, a crimson hue dusting his cheeks. Oliver’s heart starts beating at that weirdly fast rate again.

“Thank you. And I’ll definitely teach you.” Cooper replies with a bewitching smile.

There’s a beat of silence that passes by (not counting the unrelenting beating of Oliver’s heart that refuses to quiesce). Oliver clears his throat and says, “I love all the...hearts too.” He tries for a nonchalant tone, mostly to hide how flustered and emotionally affected he is by the hearts.

Cooper’s head snaps up, worry coloring his features. “You don’t think it was weird, right? Was it a bit much? I can-“

“No—Cooper it’s fine. I um-I think it’s cute.” Oliver says earnestly. It’s more than cute, if Oliver was really being honest it was actually extremely adorable, but you didn’t hear that from him. 

Cooper’s apprehensive expression drops as his lips curve into a soft smile. Oliver reciprocates his smile, although he can’t imagine it’s as stunning as Cooper’s.

Oliver is still bummed out about not only being unable to do ballet for the next couple months, but also having to bear the weight of a thick cast on his foot for the next few weeks, but Cooper was right; his little drawings did help him feel better. Solely because every time he’s feeling down about his predicament he simply glances down at his cast, admires the little doodles and hearts gracing it and instantly thinks of Cooper—and the image of his pretty, kind face is enough to instantly lighten up his mood.

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this a while ago and it’s been sitting in my drafts so i finally decided to finish and publish it!! this ship has had me in a chokehold lately and i need them to be canon ASAP!! 
> 
> also like i know cooper is not great at drawing faces, as conveyed in episode 9 of season 5 so let’s all headcanon that he’s only good at doodling and drawing other stuff like hearts for the sake of this fic lmao
> 
> anyways i hope you enjoyed this fic!! check me out on tumblr and twitter which are both @afropogue


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